Patriots fans find other reasons to get excited about Super Bowl

Friday

Jan 31, 2014 at 5:00 AM

Although many Pats fans still haven't gotten over the team's loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game two weeks ago, some are using that defeat as a reason to care about Sunday's Super Bowl.

Patrick Ronan The Patriot Ledger @pronan_Ledger

Since the Patriots aren't playing in the Super Bowl, some local residents have no interest in Sunday's big game. Dick Marcos of Whitman, for example, couldn't name the two teams playing.

"Seahawks is one of them, I know," Marcos said Thursday. "The other one ... is it the Panthers?"

Nope. It's the Seahawks and the Broncos.

"I'll probably watch something else," Marcos said.

Although many Pats fans still haven't gotten over the team's loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game two weeks ago, some are using that defeat as a reason to care about Sunday's game. Patrick Kennedy, assistant general manager at The Stadium Sports Bar & Grill in Quincy Center, said he expects a big crowd Sunday, with most in attendance rooting against Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who is vying for his second Super Bowl win.

"Nobody wants to see him get two," Kennedy said. "That's what all my customers are saying: 'I don't like Seattle, but I hate Denver more.'"

The game is drawing interest nationally for a variety of reasons, the chief of which is its location. Typically held in domed stadiums or in warm-weather cities in California or Florida, Super Bowl XLVIII will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. – the first outdoor contest in a cold-weather city in the game's history.

Although forecasters are predicting dry weather and milder temperatures, some fans will watch Sunday hoping to see a snowstorm. However, most will watch because, well, it's the Super Bowl – the biggest television event of the year.

"It's just for the tradition of it more than anything," said Joe Finley of Weymouth, who will be watching the game with friends in Rockland. Finley said he and his friends will likely order takeout food from a restaurant.

Food is a big part of Super Bowl Sunday, with the average viewer consuming about 1,200 calories, according to the Calorie Control Council.

Tim Colton, manager at The Four's restaurant in Quincy, said there will be a slight up-tick in takeout orders for appetizers, but he expects a typical Sunday crowd at his restaurant.

"It's a big house party day," he said.

This year is the first time the Super Bowl falls on Groundhog Day. For families looking for something to do before the 6:30 p.m. kickoff, the South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell is hosting a "Celebrate Groundhog Day Event" from noon to 4 p.m.

The event, free for members and $3 per child and $7 per adult for non-members, will include games, crafts, a see-your-own-shadow activity and educational programs about groundhogs and hibernation.

"If they come to us first, they still have time to go back and enjoy the game," said Melissa Kurkoski, naturalist and preschool teacher at the Natural Science Center.